This Can't be Life (49 page)

Traffic finally started to lift, so I placed the invoice and the rest of the mail that I hadn’t sifted through back into my handbag. Once I passed a small two-car fender bender on the right shoulder of the road, traffic cleared up immensely. It always amazed me that people could be so damned nosy and inconsiderate of other people’s time. That was what Los Angelinos called the “curiosity factor,” but it was nothing more than people being too damned involved in shit that has nothing at all to do with them. I finally exited the freeway on Robertson and headed north toward the restaurant. When I pulled up, I saw Talise waiting outside. I did a very illegal U-turn right in the middle of the street and stopped right in front of the restaurant. She was glowing and looking very happy, tanned, and damn, very pregnant. When she left for her honeymoon she wasn’t showing much at all, now I could see her baby bump easily. I hopped out of the car, leaving my keys in the ignition for the valet, and ran to Talise grabbing her in a bear hug. I was so happy to finally see my friend.

After we were seated, we browsed through the menus and quickly decided what we wanted. It was never really that hard for me to decide at the Ivy. There were only two dishes that I ate there: the grilled fish and the lobster pasta. I didn’t have a taste for fish, so I ordered the pasta, and Talise ordered the BBQ vegetable salad with asparagus, zucchini, scallions, and chicken.

We spent most of our lunch talking about Talise’s honeymoon and how romantic it was. I was so ecstatic for her and was soaking up every detail of where they went and what they saw. I got to feel my godchild move and was amazed that there really was a baby growing in there. When the check came, I went into my purse, noticed the bill from Bank of America, and brought it to Talise’s attention.

“Tali, did Stacey ever mention having a safe box at Bank of America? I got a bill today saying that a $90 renewal fee for another three months is due. We didn’t find a safe box key when we went through his house and packed everything up.”

“I remember him telling me that when he got that expensive watch from that stalker guy that he put it up in a safe box,” Talise mentioned.

“We got that, it was in his safe at home. I wonder what he would need a safe deposit box in a bank vault for. Oh, and speaking of stalker…” I gave her the latest on the conversation I had with the detective this morning.

“Well, at least he is telling the truth. That’s one person down and one to go,” Talise said, referring to Tyron Marks. “What should we do about the safe deposit box?” she asked.

“I’m going to call Joy and see if they know anything about it, but I doubt that they do.” I said, placing my credit card on top of the bill for the waitress to pick up.

Talise’s car was first to pull up to the curb. We hugged and said our goodbyes. I told her that I would call her as soon as I talked to Stacey’s sister, Joy. As soon as my truck pulled up, I hopped in and dialed Joy at home.

“Hey, girl, how are you?” I asked as soon as she picked up the phone. We usually talked more than a few times a week, but it had been a full week since I had spoken to her last.

“I’m okay. Today was a pretty good day. What’s goin’ on in Cali?” she asked.

“Same old shit, different day. I spoke to the detective this morning,” I filled her in on the conversation we had. “And hey, I got a letter from Bank of America saying that Stacey has a safe deposit box.”

“Really? Where in the hell is the key then?” Joy asked rhetorically.

“That’s the same thing I’m wondering. What in the hell did he need to put in a bank’s safe deposit box? When can you come out here?” I asked.

“I have no idea. I have to work. I’ve already taken so much time off. I need to find out if you can take care of this so I don’t have to come out there. I’ll call and see what I can do in the morning and I’ll call you right after,” Joy suggested. There really wasn’t anything we could do until morning anyway, so I gave her the number to the branch that was printed on the invoice and tried to figure out what I was going to do until then. The curiosity alone was going to drive me crazy.

After going home and doing all that I could do to pass time and tire myself out, I concluded that it wasn’t working. I did three loads of laundry. I washed all of the linens in the house — even the ones that were folded nicely in the linen cabinet got a fresh wash. I mopped the hard wood floors in all the rooms, cleaned out the refrigerator, cleaned all the windows in the condo and I was still wide-awake, restless, anxious, and on the verge of neurosis. I knew I had to get the hell out of the house.

Before, I always enjoyed my own company, but after getting in a car accident, Al disappearing, my salon getting burned down, finding out my mother wasn’t my real mother,  Stacey’s death, finding my real mom, Talise getting pregnant then getting married, my mind just wouldn’t rest and I hated being alone. I was always worried about one thing or the other. I had way too much on my mind. Even when I slept, I couldn’t rest. I was always dreaming and it was driving me crazy! I was terrified of what was going to happen next and had an overwhelming feeling that there was more to come, which kept me on edge. When I went to see Doctor Marge, I told her how I was feeling and she gave me a prescription for Xanax that I planned to never fill. She said that it would relax me and relieve my anxiety, but I didn’t want to take the drug. After having the prescription for over two weeks, I knew tonight would be the night that I would give in. I was so anxiety filled that I faxed in the prescription to the pharmacy and went to pick it up 30 minutes later. I needed something to help me relax. After picking up the prescription, I popped one of the pills in the car and surprisingly felt better by the time I returned home. I turned on the TV and relaxed in my bed as my mind finally started to wind down. I wasn’t sure when I dozed off but I couldn’t have been asleep for long when I awoke to the ringing of my phone. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Joy. I wondered what time it was. My blackout curtains were designed to have the same affect as a hotel room, they gave no indication as to whether or not the sun was shining outside or if the moon was still out. No matter what time of day, if I closed them, my room would become pitch black.

“Hey girl, what’s up?” I asked groggily. It literally seemed like I had just laid my head on the pillow and fallen asleep, but I felt well rested.

“I talked to the manager at the bank and was able to get some information after I faxed her his death certificate and proof that I’m executor of his estate. That lady didn’t want to tell me anything over the phone, but I did get her to tell me when Stacey got the safe deposit box,” Joy said, speaking rapidly.

“Okay, what did she say?” I asked with my eyes closed.

“Check this out. He got the safe deposit box the day before he went to Vegas.”

“What? The day before?” I sat straight up in bed. I was wide-awake now.

“Yup. I booked my flight to come out there. I’ll be there at 3:00 your time. Can you come and get me from the airport?”

“Today? Joy, what time is it?” I asked.

“It’s
12:00
here,
9:00
there. Sorry to wake you, but I needed to let you know so I can get moving. I’m coming in today and I’m taking a red eye back out tonight so I can be at work in the morning.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there to pick you up, but what do we do about getting in the safe box without a key? The bank shouldn’t have a copy of both keys.”

“Oh, yeah, I have to pay a locksmith. He’ll meet us at the bank at 4:30 this afternoon,” Joy replied.

“Okay, cool. Text me your flight info and I’ll be there to pick you up,” I said before hanging up the phone.

I couldn’t believe that I’d finally had a restful night of sleep. Although I wish I could’ve slept longer, I felt better than I had in a long while. It seemed I only got a good night of sleep when I was with Carlton, and that was because we had such an active sex life that he wore me out and put me to sleep. The thought made me horny. I dialed Carlton’s number and felt a warm feeling inside my belly when he answered the phone. His deep morning voice turned me on.

“Hey, baby. Sorry to wake you,” I said into the phone.

“You know you can call me anytime, Miss America.” I could hear the smirk in his voice and could picture the look on his face at that moment.

“You make it in?”

“Yeah, I called you but you didn’t answer. What did you do last night? You been a bad girl?” he teased.

“Yeah, I’ve been a bad girl. Are you home?” I asked, walking into my bathroom.

“I sure am. Come to daddy, baby,” Carlton said in his sexy ass voice.

“I’m on my way.” I hung up the phone and was in and out of the shower in 15 minutes flat. I moisturized my body with shea and mango body butter that smelled like heaven and didn’t bother with panties or a bra. I slipped on a spaghetti strapped, red, mid-thigh length cotton wrap dress and four-inch, leopard print, d’Orsay sandals and headed out the door.

Carlton opened the door wearing Sean Jean boxer briefs with no shirt. He pulled me into his arms and began kissing on my neck and massaging my ass with his right hand while his left remained wrapped firmly around my waist. I immediately felt wet between my legs and could feel the moisture starting to drip down my thighs.

“You smell so good. I could just eat your ass up,” he said with my earlobe clenched between his teeth. His dick was so hard it was poking me in my belly.

“Eat me up then,” I whispered, as I massaged him through his boxers. I couldn’t wait to feel him inside me. Carlton put his hand under my dress and began rubbing my ass with both his hands as he pushed me up against the door.

“No panties, huh? Yeah, you been a bad girl. I’m about to punish your ass.” He put his hands around my waist and picked me up. I wrapped my long legs around his torso and began a ferocious grind against him as we kissed passionately.

It had been over a week since we were together last and I missed him like crazy. He carried me into the kitchen and sat me on top of the large island that sat in the middle of his top of the line chef’s kitchen. He untied my dress and relieved me of it before he leaned me back and placed my feet on top of the counter. With my knees bent and spread apart,
Carlton
began to lick the juices from my thighs and squeeze my breast the way he knew I liked it. When his tongue touched my clit, I immediately came in his mouth as my body shook violently with pleasure. The way he nibbled, licked, and stuck his thick finger in and out of me made me delirious. I was so overwhelmed with pleasure that
Carlton
’s next finger thrust inside of me made me squirt as if I were a man ejaculating. I had never in my life experienced something so pleasurable yet embarrassing, but the smile on
Carlton
’s face was one of pride. He knew he had me from that point on.

“You never did that before, huh?” he asked still smiling as he pulled me off the counter, turned me around and bent me over.

“Never before in my life!
Carlton
what are you trying to do to me?” I asked as he penetrated me from behind. I met him stroke for stroke, and twisted and gyrated my hips to the best of my ability. He smacked my ass, which turned me on even more and made me want to scream! I couldn’t believe that I was close to being out of my 20s and had never experienced most of the feelings
Carlton
was making me feel. He wrapped his left arm around my waist rubbing my smooth taut stomach before snaking his hand down the front of my torso stopping when his finger touched my clit, making my body quiver. He slowed his pace and rhythmically made love to me like I’d never been made love to before. His finger rubbing my clit and his dick moving in and out of me, I was flooding in bliss. He lifted my right knee onto the counter and began sensually pounding deep into the crevices of my being until he came so hard I thought he would bust through the condom he so surreptitiously slid on. My knees where shaky, my body was sweaty, and I couldn’t begin to tell you how my hair looked, but I didn’t give a shit.

I was exhausted when I finally left
Carlton
’s house. We’d had sex in just about every room for about five hours straight. It was definitely a marathon session. I didn’t know how
Carlton
was able to keep getting hard on after hard on, but I was happy that he was. He was pleasing me more than I’d ever been pleased before. A few months ago, I’d never had a vaginal orgasm and now I was having orgasm on top of orgasm, squirting cum all over the place like I had a damned dick. My sex life was better than I ever imagined it could be.